Charles Gordon, 26
Vallejo, California
September 03, 2007
Agencies: Solano County Sheriff’s Office California | Vallejo Police Department California
Cause of death: Taser
Last updated: almost 4 years ago
Overview 
A Vallejo man who died Monday after stabbing himself and being shocked by a police Taser gun was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic who had been off his medication for several days, his family said Tuesday.
In an interview at their Hickory Street house, Charles Gordon”s family members questioned the officer”s use of the stun gun and also what they called an improper response from hospital staff.
A police official said an officer used the Taser to subdue Gordon and get the 26-year-old medical treatment. A Sutter Solano Medical Center spokesperson, meanwhile, said the incident is under review.
After a bizarre string of events, Gordon died at Sutter Solano Medical Center after cutting his neck with a butcher knife and fighting with police.
Family members said a coroner”s official told them Tuesday that Gordon did not die from his neck wound. An autopsy did not determine an immediate cause of death because authorities don”t know what role the Taser may have played or whether Gordon had used drugs, Solano County Coroner”s Deputy John Prink said.
Toxicology tests are due back in several weeks, Prink said.
Meanwhile, Gordon family members described what they recall of Monday”s tragic events.
After serving four years in state prison for driving a car involved in the robbery of a local McDonald”s, their son was never the same, Gordon”s parents Joseph, 74, and Doris, 60, said.
“When he came out, he was all messed up,” his father said.
Additional Resources:
- https://police.community/topic/293429-tasers-the-uncomfortable-truth/ added June 21, 2020 06:55
- https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2007/09/05/family-details-hours-before-mentally-ill-mans-death/ added June 21, 2020 06:55